Palmaz Vineyards

One of the most beautiful and interesting vineyards we've ever visited was Palmaz Vineyards.

Here's a little history off the Palmaz website:

The Palmazes bought a forgotten stone winery, a fine old house badly in need of renovation, and acres of land that had once produced fine Napa wines. The little valley had been the site of Cedar Knoll Vineyard and Winery, founded in 1881 by Henry Hagen, one of Napa Valley's pioneer winemakers.

Henry Hagen produced wines that garnered many awards, including a silver medal at the Paris Exposition of 1889. During that era, Cedar Knoll was one of Napa's premier wineries. The vineyards survived the Wine Country’s phylloxera infestation in the 1890s, but Prohibition was fatal. The winery fell into disrepair and the vineyards lay fallow for nearly eighty years.

Today, the vineyards are burgeoning, the restored Hagen house is a family home 
again, and the winery has been reinvented.


Brad was our tour guide through the underground cave of Palmaz.  Here's the description from the website of this one-of-a-kind winemaking facility:

Palmaz Vineyards' winemaking and aging takes place within the living rock of Mount George, in a flawlessly engineered maze of tunnels and lofty domes. The height of the wine cave is equivalent to an 18-storey building, providing the vertical range needed for true gravity-flow winemaking. Thus, the wine is never subjected to the violent agitation of pumping, which can change the wine’s intra-molecular structure. This gentle treatment allows the finest nuances of flavor to develop naturally—the result is a complex, elegant wine.

• The fermentation dome is the world’s largest underground reinforced structure. It is 72’ in diameter and 54’ high.
• Temperature stays constant at 60 degrees and humidity at 75%, the perfect atmosphere for aging wine.
• The cave houses its own water treatment plant built to comply with strict conservation guidelines.
• Fermentation tanks rotate on a custom-designed carousel.

Our tasting menu included:

2009 Napa Valley Chardonnay "Amalia"

2007 Palmaz Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

2008 Palmaz Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

2010 Muscat Canelli "Florencia"

2007 Cedar Knoll Cabernet Sauvignon

All of the wine was outstanding.  We were big Cedar Knoll fans before visiting Palmaz.  In fact, I had purchased 1/2 of a case before Christmas.  

It was hard to decide which was more wonderful - the 2007 or the 2008 Palmaz Cab.

Brad was a delightful and funny host.  The entire tasting experience was top notch.  We sampled smoke salmon canapés with wasabi infused caviar, smoked duck wrapped in cream cheese with fig preserves, a variety of cheeses and a chocolate Cabernet truffle.  The Muscat was paired with a shortbread cookie with 

mango and marcona almond cream cheese.

Don't miss Palmaz on your next trip to Napa.  

Garguilo Vineyards

Gargiulo Vineyards is adjacent to the Screaming Eagle property so we were very excited to try their wines.

We sat on the patio overlooking the vineyards. It's a lovely place to hang out and drink exceptional wine.

We tasted the following:

2008 575 OVX G Major 7 Study Cabernet Sauvignon - 652 case production

2008 Money Road Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon - 982 case production

2008 Money Road Ranch Merlot

2009 Aprile Super Oakville Red - 934 case production (96% Sangiovese, 4% Cabernet)

All of the wine was spectacular but the G Major 7 was out of this world. This wine is so fabulous and in such demand that you are limited to purchasing 3 bottles. We were lucky they had a small amount left that we could buy. Needless to say, I'm jealously guarding the G Major 7 now resting comfortably in my wine refrigerator.

Here are the tasting notes:

G Major 7 Study Cabernet Sauvignon is blended from selected fruit off the 575 ovx vineyard and is named after a classic jazz guitar chord. Like its namesake, it is composed of four of the five classic Bordeaux varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot and Merlot. G Major 7 is highly nuanced and provides a profound sense of elegance and complexity, changing with every swirl and sip. The nose reflects subtle floral notes, which develop into deep, crushed berry and earth flavors on the palate. Its tannins are refined and seamlessly integrated. The aging potential is 25 plus years.

• Oakville Appellation
• Single estate vineyard: 575 ovx
• Composition of the blend varies by vintage, but typically is: 85 percent Cabernet Sauvignon; 12 percent Cabernet Franc, 2 percent Petite Verdot, 1 percent Merlot
• Produced from four separate vineyard blocks in Eastern Oakville's red rocks
• 22 months in medium toast French barriques: 90 percent new

Pine Ridge Vineyards

We were in between appointments at Garguilo and Palmaz when we decided to stop by Pine Ridge Vineyards and taste their reds.

We tried the following:

2007 Pine Ridge Oakville Cabernet

2007 Pine Ridge Stag's Leap Cabernet

2007 Pine Ridge Howell Mountain Cabernet

2005 Pine Ridge Andrus Reserve

2007 Pine Ridge Fortis

Keep in mind that I had just left the amazing Garguilo so anything that wasn't awesome would likely taste terrible to me.

The Andrus Reserve and the Fortis were outstanding.

Here are the tasting notes on the Fortis. I definitely tasted the cherry:

Fortis presents the absolute pinnacle of richness and complexity. It displays an intense array of aromas including juicy plum, ripe blackberries and black currant balanced with baking spices, brown sugar and dark cocoa. The wine explodes on the palate with supple fruit notes of warm black cherry and cassis amid hints of espresso, toast and light vanilla that continues through the unrelenting finish. Firm tannins and a robust structure affirm the tremendous aging potential of this wine, which in its youth, would show best after decanting for at least one hour.

Varietal 77% Cabernet Sauvignon,
13% Petit Verdot, 8% Malbec, 1% Merlot, 1% Cabernet FrancAppellation: Napa Valley
Alcohol: 13.9%

Aging Potential: up to 15 years SRP: $140

Release Date: September 1, 2010

Here are the tasting notes on the 2005 Andrus Reserve, which is only available from the winery:


A luscious nose of blueberry pie, dark cherry and boysenberry fruit, enlivined with hints of red cinnamon and cigar box spice explodes out of the glass at first swirl. On the palate, the 2005 Andrus Reserve shows youthful tannins, firm and chewy, that support the rich black current, cherry-berry flavors all the way through a long finish accented with notes of vanilla, cream, brown butter and oak spice. Enjoy this wine now or cellar it for up to 15 years.

Mollydooker Wines

I was browsing in one of my favorite wine shops - also known as COSTCO - when I noticed a very attractive bottle of Australian Shiraz called Carnival of Love (94 points WS) by Mollydooker Winery. I confess I'm not the biggest fan of Shiraz but I was intrigued by this one. It was highly rated by Robert Parker and had an equally high price tag. I decided to pick one up for Thanksgiving Day.

To say that I loved this wine would not come close to expressing my feelings. It was simply fantastic but I'll warn you that it's not for everyone. This is the JAMMIEST wine I've ever tasted. It literally has a blackberry jam finish. It is also a very bold wine. If you're not a fan of big wines, you won't like this one.

I later picked up Enchanted Path (93 points WS) which is their Cab/Shiraz blend and it was also fantastic.

Mollydooker produces a whole line of interesting wines but their top of the line wine is called Velvet Glove Shiraz. I have not tried this one yet but it scored 96 points in Wine Spectator.

Another notable wine they produce is Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz which earned 91 points from Wine Spectator.

Elyse Winery

In what has become tradition, we stopped by Elyse to order our annual supply of Zin and to buy a few magnums to drink at dinner while we were in Napa. Hands down, my favorite Zinfandel is made by Elyse Winery. It's very small and off the beaten path but their wine is excellent. They also produce some terrific Cabernet.

My husband found an Elyse Cab on a wine list while at a business dinner in New York. He ordered it and it was a big hit with his colleagues.

This year we drank 2 magnums of Elyse's Howell Mountain Zin during dinner at Auberge du Soleil. Two of our dinner guests were French wine fans but they LOVED the Elyse.

Next time you're in Napa, make a point to stop by Elyse. You won't be disappointed.

Cakebread Cabernet Release Party 2012

We actually travel to Napa each February for the Cakebread Cabernet release party. The rest of the wineries we visit are scheduled around this party. As Cakebread wine club members, we are some of their biggest fans.

Cakebread really went all-out on their party this year. We've been attending this annual event for years but this was by far the nicest party yet. Their 2009 Cabernet was featured since it was the new release but this year they opened up the cellar and brought out some older vintages. The 2006 Benchland Select was incredible, as always. The 2004 Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon was very popular with several in our crowd. The show-stopper, in my humble opinion, was the Dancing Bear Ranch (Howell Mountain) Cabernet Sauvignon. This year's feature was the 2003 vintage. It was fantastic. My collection of Dancing Bear continues to grow.

Joseph Phelps

Phenomenal. That's the first word that comes to mind when describing, not just the wine at Joseph Phelps, but the whole experience.

Claude was our sommelier. He was the most interesting and knowledgeable person we've met in our many years of visiting Napa. We tasted the following wines:

2010 Sauvignon Blanc "St. Helena"

2009 Ovation Chardonnay

2009 Syrah

2009 Fogdog Pinot Noir

2008 Insignia

2006 Backus Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Our group was evenly split on whether the Backus Cab or the Insignia was the best. I came home with Insignia. You just can't beat Insignia - arguably the most famous of all California wines.

From their website:

"...the flagship wine, Insignia, is recognized as one of the world’s great wines. Twenty nine of 34 vintages have been rated ninety or more points by various wine publications. From 1990 to 2007, the average score from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate is 94.5 pts., with the lowest score still a fabulous 91. The 2002 vintage was “Wine of the Year” by Wine Spectator Magazine, and the 2007 vintage has been rated 98 points by Robert Parker and 96 points by Wine Spectator Magazine."

Kuleto Estate

Kuleto Estate is an amazing winery located high in the hills near Rutherford. It boasts one of the most beautiful views in the valley.

This was my first introduction to Kuleto wine and I was not disappointed. A lovely gal named Bree was our tour guide. We tasted the following wines, which were all very good:

2008 Kuleto Zin (bought several bottles)

2007 Syrah

2006 Danielli (outstanding, bought a bottle)

2010 Muscato

2009 Chardonnay (not too buttery)

2008 Pinot Noir

2006 Frog Prince Cabernet Sauvignon (very good)

A word about Danielli - it really is terrific.

Even veteran Napa visitors like us were incredibly impressed with Kuleto. Put it on your list if you're heading to Wine Country.

Realm Cellars - What a Find!

My dear friend Michael Garcia struck up a friendship with the owner of Realm Cellars. They met at Grailey's in Dallas. We scheduled a private wine tasting as our first winery stop when we arrived in Napa yesterday. This was my first experience with Realm wines and they are phenomenal!

We tasted the 2009 vintages of The Tempest, The Falstaff, The Bard and Farella. We also did barrel tastings of Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Cabernet and Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet.

Everyone had a different favorite. These wines were outstanding. I came away with several bottles of The Bard and I'm on the "wish list" for the absolutely amazing Dr. Crane Cab.

You know wine is good when you can't even buy it - you have to get on a wish list!

This is a small production winery that produces and bottles its wine at Chateau Boswell in Napa. Chateau Boswell is one of the prettiest winery building we've ever visited.

If you're a fan of small production, high end Cab, make a point to visit Realm Cellars on your next trip to Napa. Remember to make an appointment!

It's a Napa Time of Year

Time for our annual pilgrimage to Napa. I'll be reporting from the road so stay tuned...